Birdman legal battle costs Worthing £35k

Dan Cain

A LEGAL battle between a former Birdman competitor – who claimed he had flown a prize-winning distance – and the Worthing Town Centre Initiative (WTCI) – who argued he had not – reached its conclusion on Friday.

At a hearing in Brighton County Court, a judge dismissed Steve Elkins’ claim that he should have been awarded £30,000 for flying, what he believed, was a distance of 100 metres in the 2009 Worthing International Birdman event.

Despite winning the case, WTCI incurred legal costs in excess of £35,000 – a sum which has ‘torpedoed us financially’ according to Chris Spratt, the WTCI chairman.